DAF Partners With VDL Groep For Fully Electric Truck

Dutch manufacturer DAF Trucks electrified its CF truck model (which is also the International Truck of the Year 2018) using VDL’s advanced E-Power Technology.

DAF VDL CF Electric

The first DAF VDL CF Electric will be delivered to leading customers in the course of this year. The trucks will be manufactured by DAF and the full electric installation will be completed by VDL, which gained EV experience producing electric buses.

The big surprise for us is that the CF Electric is equipped with only a 170 kWh battery for 100 km (62 miles) of range, but DAF encourages us that would be enough for in-city distribution. Batteries can be recharged in 30 minutes (quick) and 1.5 hour (full). Electric motor is rated at 210 kW and 2,000 Nm.

It’s good to see that DAF is entering the EV segment and we assume, step by step, they will increase the battery capacity to be able replace diesel version at some point in the future.

“The CF Electric is a 4×2 tractor unit developed for up to 40 ton distribution applications within urban areas in which single or double axle semi-trailers are the standard. The truck is based on DAF’s CF – ‘International Truck of the Year 2018’ – and uses VDL’s advanced E-Power Technology for fully electric operation. The center of the intelligent powertrain is the 210 kW electric motor, which gets its energy from the lithium-ion battery pack with a current total capacity of 170 kWh. The CF Electric has a range of approximately 100 kilometers which is appropriate for high volume distribution applications. Quick charging of the batteries can be executed in 30 minutes or a complete full charge can be accomplished in as little as 1.5 hours.

“DAF has a strong history of developing innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of our customers and we will continue to provide them the full complement of appropriate technology choices to ensure their success”, stated Preston Feight, DAF Trucks president. “DAF was among the first manufacturers to introduce a hybrid electric distribution truck in Europe and has continued to develop hybrid and electric powertrains. As cities announce their intention to require zero emissions and ultra-low noise we will make sure our customers have the optimal solutions for their success.”

VDL Groep: leader in commercial vehicle electrification

For the CF Electric, DAF is partnering with VDL Groep, also based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. VDL is a technology leading company with substantial experience in commercial vehicle electrification, especially in the field of public transport buses. “VDL has proven itself as a leader in fully electric buses for public transport and has already delivered hundreds of electric buses to public transport operators throughout Europe”, said Willem van der Leegte, president of VDL Groep. “Partnering with DAF on this electric truck is an exciting development and represents a tremendous opportunity for two Eindhoven based technology companies to lead the electric commercial vehicle world.””

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6 Comments on "DAF Partners With VDL Groep For Fully Electric Truck"

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Seth

That really should have been 400km, as that means you can cover NL from Utrecht in het centre. You’d need 600km if the DC is outside the centre. Odd choice. A 100km is so 2010, I can’t imagine this being very applicable to anyone. It is a typical case of the “average” not being applicable to anyone.

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5 days ago

antrik

It’s perfectly applicable for shipping from distribution centres outside cities to supermarkets inside. Arguably, that’s the most important segment to electrify, since on top of decarbonisation, it helps with air pollution (and noise pollution) in cities.

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5 days ago

Benedictus

Inner city suppliers are facing ever stricter rules. In the Netherlands there haven been noise pollution rules for night time delivery for a long time. Cities like Amsterdam have been actively promoting electric inner city distribution. Now technology is evolving the rules are evolving with them.

Last year the city of Utrecht announced a ban on emission vehicles for distribution from 2025 in the inner city.
(Source: https://bit.ly/2npMgkn)

These new trucks are focusing on this market first, that makes perfect sense.

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4 days ago

jamcl3

DAF in Europe partners with Paccar in the US, so perhaps we will see something related in a Peterbilt or Kenworth brand eventually. Paccar had announced a very different EV direction if I recall.

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5 days ago

Ad van der Meer

Such a shame that the DAF PR department does not know the difference between kWh and kW yet.

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4 days ago

h3x6g0n

Yes, also in the translation from Dutch to English they made a couple of ‘no-no’s’. As a multi-national they need people with a better understanding of the English language.